n Part XXXVIII, our journey through the history of football rules took us up to the season of 1916. This edition will highlight some of the pinnacles of the game during the 1917 season but will especially focus on another legendary pioneer of the game.

The 1917 season was somewhat uneventful in the area of innovation and rules revision. The nation and the world had other things on their minds as World War I was raging on in Europe. The US would enter the conflict as a result of intelligence that the Germans would use submarine warfare against American ships.

But football would be played during this era of war. Pitt, once again under Pop Warner’s command, would be undefeated but they would not earn the title of National Champions for 1917. Another well-known legendary coach would have the nation’s top team, John Heisman and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech would win the honors.